Words of affirmation and exhortation

Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you (1 Samuel 12:24).”

Divided loyalty is not pretty. When a spouse has divided loyalty it often leads to unfaithfulness and even divorce. When an employee has divided loyalty it often causes their work to slack and may even lead to giving away corporate secrets. No, divided loyalty is just not pretty.

Israel’s greatest struggle was that they could not settle the matter of their loyalty to God once and for all. They over and over again rebelled against God and then returned to Him, but as soon as things got better for them their hearts were drawn away again. As we read 1 Samuel 12 we see an example of their divided loyalty as they ask for and receive a king from the Lord. Yet even after their sinful act of rejection God continued to bless them. Here in verse 24, as their king is confirmed, Samuel once again implores them to serve the Lord in truth with all their heart. Why? In response to remembering all the great things the Lord has done for them. Samuel in essence said to the people, “Remember all that the Lord has done for you and devote yourself fully to Him in response.”

Today, as you rekindle your fervor for God, I encourage you to remember all that the Lord has done for you. Remember every door He has opened. Remember every prayer He has answered. Reflect on every way He has made. Then settle the matter once and for all of your loyalty to God. Decide to serve the Lord with all your heart because of all the great things He has done for you. Our loyalty to God is not based on empty promises. God has proven faithful to us. Let us serve Him with all our heart.

“But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place (Genesis 50:19)?’”

Resentment, bitterness, grudges! These are all things that are easy to carry toward those who have wronged us. In fact we feel justified in feeling the way we do because of what the other person has done to us. We rehearse the story over and over again to whoever will listen. When others stop listening, we rehearse the story over and over again to ourselves. Today if you are carrying around resentment, bitterness, and/or grudges, my prayer is that you will rekindle your fervor for God and let it go.

Joseph had been severely wronged by his brothers. Their jealousy of him turned into hatred and led them to sell him into slavery. Yet God used them to send Joseph ahead of them to Egypt to save the entire nation of Israel through him. Now many years later, Joseph’s brothers are afraid because their father has died and they are now left to deal directly with Joseph. They devise a lie to seek Joseph’s favor. When presented with their lie and their fear, Joseph makes a powerful statement about seeking payback that is brought about from carrying resentment, bitterness, and grudges. He says “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place?” Did you catch that? Joseph equates repaying a person for their wrong toward you with acting as God. Wow! “Vengeance is mine, I will repay says the Lord (Hebrews 10:30).” Remember your place. Getting the person back is not your role. It’s God’s!

When we seek to pay others back for their treatment of us, we put ourselves in the place of God. Nothing good can happen for us when we assume God’s role. Today, as you reignite your fire for the Lord, I encourage you to release all bitterness, resentment, and every grudge. Decide today to stop being in the place of God. Leave room for God to do whatever He chooses to do. Release the person(s) from their wrong and watch what happens. Remember your place is to forgive. God’s place is to repay!

“I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it (1 Corinthians 9:23).”

We often do things and afterward wonder “Why did I just do that?” We as humans sometimes fail to think about the motive behind what we do. We are so accustomed to acting without fully thinking through why we are doing a thing that we are able function on auto pilot. As we continue rekindling our fervor for the Lord, I encourage you to do it all for the sake of the gospel!

The Apostle Paul preached the gospel to most of the known world during his lifetime. He conducted three successful missionary journeys witnessing God save Jews and Greeks through his ministry. He was one of the most effective evangelists of all times. Very few people can boast of his level of success in ministry. What was his secret to success? Perhaps it is found here in 1 Corinthians 9:23 “I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.” Paul’s motivation for all he did was to advance the gospel. He did it all for the sake of the gospel.

Today as we live reignited it is important to check our motives. Why are we doing what we do? Our motives are what are important to God. He looks at why we do what we do, not simply what we. As you live on fire for the Lord today make sure you do it all for the sake of the gospel. Make advancing the gospel the motive for all your actions. Have the furtherance of the good news that Jesus saves as the undergirding motivation for every activity in which you engage.

“They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who this is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him (Mark 4:41)?””

My wife and I at times will jokingly ask the other “Who are you and what did you do with my spouse?” This is typically because one of us has said or done something so out of character that the other doesn’t recognize the person. I’m sure you can tell stories of occasions when you thought you knew a person, but then they did or said something that made you wonder if you really knew them at all. Getting to know a person is a complex and time consuming endeavor. Yet when you really get to know a person who is fascinating, fun, and faithful, it is completely worth the time and effort spent getting to know them.

In the passage we draw our thought from today the disciples are with Jesus crossing the Sea of Galilee. As they make their way across a severe storm develops. It appears to them they are about to be destroyed by the storm so they wake Jesus from His nap to save them. Jesus simply speaks to the storm telling it to be quiet and stop. It obeys His command and peace is restored. This leaves the disciples fearful because they suddenly realize they don’t fully comprehend who Jesus is. Their words are very telling “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” They didn’t know, until then, that aspect of Jesus.

As you continue to rekindle your fervor for the Lord, I encourage you to get to know this Jesus; the Jesus who has authority over everything, even the wind and the sea. Get to know the Jesus who speaks to a situation and instantly changes it. Take time to get to know the Jesus who is not overwhelmed by even the most overwhelming circumstances. I am convinced when we get to know this Jesus, who calmly tells the violent storm to be quiet and stop, we will not worry about any of the storms in our life because we know He can handle them. Invest the effort and energy necessary to get to know this Jesus.

“But now, O Lord, You are our Father, we are the clay, and you our potter; and all of us are the work of your hand (Isaiah 64:8

It is easy to forget who God is. I realize that we do not intellectually forget that God is God, but we often live as though He is not. Forgetting who God is shows up in how we handle the daily decisions of life. It is demonstrated in how we respond to circumstances and situations. Forgetting God even shows up in the way we treat others. Today as you rekindle your spiritual fervor I encourage you to remember who God is.

Israel was a nation that often forgot who God was. They rebelled against Him; they worshipped idols; they relied on other nations; Israel forgot who God was. As we read chapter 64 of Isaiah, Israel is in a bad way. Their rebellion has led to captivity. They are now crying out to God for His help. As they cry out to God, they finally remember who He is “But now, O Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay, and you our potter; and all of us are the work of your hand.” It has taken the complete removal of God’s protective provision for Israel to remember who He is to them. But now they finally remember who God is.

Today as you live reignited do not forget who God is. Do not let the circumstances of your life cause you to forget who God is. Do not allow people and things to replace God in your life. As you pursue your career and your dreams do not forget who God is. Remember who God is. He is our heavenly Father. He is the potter and we are the clay. He is the creator and we are the work of His hand. God is the only one who is able to deliver, save, and keep us. Make sure you remember who God is today.

“But He knows the way I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold (Job 23:10).”

If we are honest, we know that trials are a part of life, but sometimes you get tired of being tried! I can imagine that is how Job felt as he continued to suffer simply because God knew he could handle it. I’m sure if you have been suffering and going through trials for what seems like a long time, you are ready for them to end. If so, I have a word of encouragement for you today as you live reignited.

We again find Job lamenting his condition in chapter 23. He is telling his friends of his longing for God to intervene in his situation. Job is really in a bad way. Ongoing suffering tends to cause one to become desperate for relief! As Job is expressing his desire for God to deal with his situation, he makes a powerful declaration concerning God and his suffering: “But He knows the way I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Wow! That really reveals something about Job’s character and his perception of God. Job was confident of two things: God knew the direction of his life and he (Job) would come out perfected after the trial. Job’s confidence in God and the outcome of his life had not been shaken by his suffering. Job knew he was in the refiner’s fire and believed the end result would be his perfecting.

Today if you find yourself in the midst of suffering and trials, I encourage you to know the two things that Job was convinced of: God knows the direction of your life and you will be perfected through the trial. Here’s why. Anyone who knows anything about gold knows that it is refined through fire. The gold smith uses fire to burn away the imperfections until the pureness of the metal is brought forth. God does the same with us. He uses the refiner’s fire of suffering and trials to purify us for His purposes. Today rejoice in knowing that all the trials of your life are perfecting you for God’s purpose! Live reignited today as you endure the refiner’s fire.

“O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed in the man who takes refuge in Him!” Psalm 34:8

Many people question the existence of God. Many doubt that God is real. Others find it difficult to believe that, even if God is real, He would be concerned for man. Skepticism and doubt run rampant in the world today. You may even at times struggle to believe that God is real. If so I invite you to taste and see.

In Psalm 34 we read David’s words after he acted crazy in the presence of Abimelech. It is a psalm of praise offered to God for being Jehovah Jireh-The Lord who provides. In the midst of praising God for being his provider David invites others to try God for themselves. He does so by telling them in verse 8 “O taste and see that the Lord is good…” David is in essence telling those who are listening to the psalm “try God for yourself.” Take the time to experience God personally. He is inviting them to know God through personal encounter.

Today, if you are struggling to believe that God is real or that He is concerned for you, I invite you to taste and see. Try God for yourself. Take the time to experience God through a personal encounter with Him. When you do I am confident that you will join David in declaring “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”